Another day, another ramen place. You'd think we're carbo-loading for something, but it's just that the original versions are hard to pass up. If you've read about my disappointment over not being able to try out Ichiran in Osaka last year, then finally being able to try it out in Hong Kong early this year, then you can bet that I'm itching to include this in my "been there, done that" list. Ichiran was not actually on our list of restaurants to try. It's just that we passed by it during our trip and saw this familiar sign. We couldn't resist. So we went in. LOL.
And contrary to Ippudo where you just sit and the server will come take your order, Ichiran's order taking system is far more high tech. All you have to do is press your orders and pay the total.
After payment, the machine will print out stubs for you. I don't read Japanese but for sure these are your orders. Take your seats and someone will attend to you shortly.
We were given these sheets. Encircle how you want your ramen to be and wait for it to be served.
As with the Hong Kong branch, Ichiran Tokyo's seating arrangement is exactly the same. We were joking among ourselves that this is the "no-cheating policy" strongly enforced for ramen-goers. LOL.
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| Egg |
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| Seaweed |
Egg fail. Well, it wasn't bad, just a tad overcooked.
And finally, my ramen. The broth is as rich and flavorful as the one we tried in Hong Kong. Noodles are really soft too. I love it!
The verdict? Looooove Ichiran! Ramen-wise, it's definitely better than the one in Ippudo. They have fantastic seaweed too. It's not the typical seaweed that remains whole when you put it in soup. Got a nice surprise because the seaweed actually sort of breaks apart and becomes really soft and melts in your mouth. 4 out of 5 stars!
Ichiran is at Koyasuwan Building B1F, 13-7 Udagawacho Shibuya-ku, Tokyo-to, 150-0042
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